Police to use DNA spray in illegal biker crackdown

The sprays can be used to forensically link someone to a crime

Police officers in north-east Scotland are to use a DNA tagging spray in a bid to crackdown on the illegal use of bikes and motorbikes.

The technology allows police to spray the bikes, clothing and skin of any riders and their passengers with a uniquely-coded but invisible DNA, which provides forensic evidence to link them to a specific crime.

The handheld tagging spray is already used in other parts of the country.

The substance, called SelectaDNA, is a very fine mist, which does not cause harm to the skin - or damage to clothing or machinery.

However, it does not wash off surfaces, so can help forensically link offenders, even after the passage of time.